Waking up in a wagon

Vel awoke to the sound of birdsong and the late afternoon sun shining in through a small window. He had no idea where he was. A small bed, that was easy enough to see. He was in a small bed inside a small wooden structure, which he realized had to be one of the wagons. Wagons? What wagons?

And just like that, it all came back to him. The ride with his sisters, the ambush they had stumbled upon, his reckless charge, his realization that both sides were elves, the fight, and… And being torn from his saddle and-

His hands shot to his abdomen, where he vividly remembered being stabbed at least 6 or 7 times. Then up to his shoulder, where he remembered the unimaginably unpleasant feeling of a tendon being severed. There were no wounds, not even dressed or bandaged ones. His skin was flawless.

“Her majesty the princess expended great effort to heal your wounds in the aftermath of the fight.” Vel craned his neck, there was a figure just behind him. It was an elf, which shouldn’t have surprised him, but this was only the second one he had ever seen. Well, unless one counted the unsteady view of the fight he’d had from the back of a galloping destrier. The speaker stepped forward, granting Vel a better look. The first thing that stood about him, and it was definitely a him, was his height. He was tall, taller than Vel himself. Then there were the tattoos. Swirling patterns of ink adorned the face that peeked out from under the hood he was wearing. “I hope but doubt that you can fully appreciate the honor you have been sho-“ Two melodies sounded as he spoke, falling in and out of harmony with each other behind his somewhat accented Imperial Common. Vel got a clear sense of danger from this strange figure, there was a soft menace in that music. Singer. This was a singer, The Heir was sure of it. But, just as that realization came, the third person in the wagon interrupted him and revealed herself, and all other thoughts were driven from Vel’s mind.

She was perhaps the most stunning figure Vel had ever beheld, rivaling even the beauty of his harem. She too stood tall, though not as tall as the singer or even himself. As she spoke in interruption, three melodies graced Vel’s ears. They too rose and fell and moved in and out of harmony, but their dance seemed so much more complex. “That is quite enough, mighty weaver. We are the ones who are honored.” She took a step closer to Vel as she turned towards him, gracing him with a smile that was truly otherworldly in its beauty. “Healing your wounds was the absolute least I could do after you so gallantly rode to our rescue. Without you, we would surely all have perished.” Her expression turned more somber again as she took yet another step closer, putting a window just behind her. Framed by the late day sun, she was simply radiant.

Vel was briefly lost for words. He got none of the menace or sense of danger that got from the singer from this woman, though he did feel some unease from that deep powerful part that he had come to regard as his powers. With a momentous effort, he found his voice. “Think nothing of it, your majesty. You and your party are welcome in these lands and were assured safe passage. As the heir of House Andros, I could have done nothing less.” She smiled again and slightly inclined her head at his words. “Even so, our thanks are given.” Vel did his best to return her smile. “And I likewise thank you for tending to my wounds.” He thought for a second. “My horse, is he-“ Her smile changed a bit, and Vel thought she was trying to look reassuring. “Your steed is fine and nearby, but none of us were able to get close enough to tie him to anything. Though that has proven no issue, as he is completely unwilling to move beyond a certain distance from you.” Vel thought some hint of her being impressed crept into her voice. “It is no small feat on your part to have earned such loyalty from so noble and powerful a creature.”

Vel breathed a sigh of relief. Veldred was fine. “Now that you are assured of your mount’s safety, might I ask you to confirm that you are indeed the heir to these lands?” Vel nodded. “I am.” She nodded as well. “So your sisters told us. They were quite insistent on seeing you even before you woke. They and some guards await you just outside our encampment.” Vel chuckled, he could imagine Adi being very insistent indeed. She no doubt did not love the idea of her brother being surrounded by elves. She probably wouldn’t be too thrilled about him risking his life for them either. But he had made a split-second decision when he had realized what they were, and he still thought he had made the right one. As soon as he realized that it was the awaited elven delegation he was riding to the rescue of, he had known what his duty was. And something deep within him, not just his powers this time, something deeper, told him he had made the right decision. Besides, it had earned him a smile from that gorgeous princess, that alone was worth the pain of getting stabbed a dozen or so times.

“I suppose it is time for me to join them and return home then, unless you wish me to remain here as part of your escort.” That gorgeous head shook as if to say no, her brown hair glimmering in the sunlight. “That will not be necessary, the threat has been solidly dealt with. You alone slew over a dozen foes in a matter of seconds. It was… Most impressive.” Some awe crept into the melodies. Not just into her voice, but into the music playing behind them as she spoke. The singer frowned but said nothing. “Even so, I should leave the majority of the guards with you, at least until you reach Townton.” It did indeed seem unlikely that another party of ambushing elves was hiding anywhere, but Vel thought it would be foolish to not take precautions.

The princess initially looked like she wanted to argue against it, but she saw something in his eyes as they met hers, and she nodded. “Very well, if that is your wish. Thank you, Lord…” She trailed off, and Vel realized they had never introduced themselves to each other. “Velas of House Andros. At your service, but I fear I am not a lord yet.” The beautiful elf inclined her head. “I am Princess Lethiliie, and I hope you will forgive me if I continue to address you as Lord Velas. I am deeply in your debt, if not for you…” She trailed off again, and this time Vel thought he could pick up on adoration. He sorely wanted to look at her mind but dared not use his powers here. Not surrounded by elves and under the watchful eyes of what he was sure was a singer. “I of course do not mind at all, your highness. And I thank you again for seeing to my wounds, it is I who is indebted.” He sat up in bed and swung his legs onto the floor, looking around for his cane. He couldn’t spot it. Something felt different too, kind of wrong, but not wrong in a bad way somehow.

Lethillie cleared her throat. “My apologies, Lord Velas, but your injuries were severe. I had **** but to saturate your whole being with healing magics. There was no avoiding the changes to your leg, I hope this was not an overstep of some kind. If it was, I truly am sorry but it was the only way-“ Vel slowly held up his hand to forestall further apology while he stared at his bare feet. Feet, plural. Where there used to be a scarred and leathery stump there was now a regular foot. Five toes, the mirror image of his other one. So, this was how his leg came to be healed. Not by his own power, but by that of the royal family of his enemies. The insane urge to burst out laughing bubbled up inside him. He did his best to fight it, but some joyful laughter broke through and resounded in the small wagon. Luckily, Princess Lethiliie seemed to interpret it as him taking joy in his healing, which Vel realized it to some degree was.

“Please, no apologies are needed. This is yet another thing I must thank you for. I did not think healing my leg was possible. It was never an injury, I was born crippled.” The princess looked somewhat grave as she nodded once again. “I do not doubt that it would be far beyond human magics, but among our kind a child born so deformed would have been healed immediately after birth.” Vel took no offence at the word deformed, it was certainly not wrong.

Carefully, he raised his butt a little and put some weight on his feet. It felt fine. Strange, but fine. Taking a deep breath, he stood up. His brain had not expected to stand so straight and firm and he was initially disoriented and dizzy, the princess quickly stepping over to give him a steadying hand. When their skin touched, Vel instantly focused, the dizziness vanishing. He also saw a glimpse of… Something. It had been extremely brief, a flicker of red hair, a pointed ear... Golden fields of wheat? He met Lethiliie’s eyes, and she too looked confused, but quickly regained her composure. Had she seen something as well? He couldn’t exactly ask her, he wasn’t even sure he had really seen anything.

The moment passed swiftly, and the princess spoke as if nothing had happened. “Are you okay, I imagine walking on two normal legs might take some getting used to.” Vel nodded. “Yes, I am fine, thank you. I imagine I shall simply have to practice a bit.” The two of them were still holding hands and, as Lethiliie started to pull hers away, Vel gently grasped it and held on. “If I may, I have one last favor to beg of you, your highness.” Allowing her hand to remain in his gentle grasp, she smiled again. “Of course, I could hardly deny my savior when he asks so humbly. If it is within my power, I will see it done.”

Vel took a few seconds to make sure he could phrase it right. “The magic I made use of when I joined the fray, I assume you saw it.” A nod. “Yes indeed, there was no missing it. Most impressive, especially for a human.” Vel needed another moment before continuing. “Could I ask that it be kept between us, no mention of it to others, especially not my lord father?” The beautiful elf looked somewhat taken aback, but she nodded. “I shall ensure no mention of it is made to anyone, on pain of ****.” That seemed a bit much to Vel, but who was he to question elvish ways. He gave a little bow, something that turned out to be much easier with two good legs. “You have my gratitude, your majesty.”

The singer behind Vel said something in a language Vel couldn’t understand, he assumed it was Elvish, and the princess nodded to him. “The honored weaver is right, we have to get going. We were planning to camp in this area for the night and arrive in town tomorrow but given today’s events we plan to make it there before nightfall.” That seemed wise to Vel. “Very well then, I thank you again for everything, and shall take my leave.” On an impulse he leaned forward a bit again and kissed the top of the hand he was still holding. Another flash of red hair, golden waves of wheat in the wind, and pointed ears. Were those shrieks of laughter he heard?

The moment passed as quickly as it had come, and he had not been looking at Lethillie’s face this time, so he had no indication at all if she had experienced anything as well. The princess smiled at him as he looked back up, and he sensed some genuine warmth. “We will be staying in town for a few days and would be most pleased if you came to see us, Lord Velas. If you can find the time, that is.” Vel did his best to return her smile, but inside him there was turmoil. He wanted to come see her again, that much was for sure. But the rational part of his mind was telling him that he should probably get away from her and avoid ever setting eyes on her again. “I shall do my best to make it so, your majesty.”

Just as he was about to head outside, the singer spoke again. “We appreciate you respecting elven matters and not asking about the attackers or their motivations.” His voice gave little away, but Vel thought it had been said begrudgingly. In truth, it simply hadn’t occurred to him to ask. He had plenty of other things on his mind. Veldred, his healed leg, the beautiful princess. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to use it to make him look good. He inclined his head to the singer. “The internal politics of the elves are no concern of mine, the safety of guests in my lands is.” The singer inclined his head back, and Vel again thought he saw grudging respect. With one last smile to Lethilliie, Vel exited the wagon.